Last Saturday, hubby and I went on a Tasty Taiwanese Trip in Flushing, NY. A friend of ours, who always has excellent Asian restaurant suggestions, recommended a place for hotpot, but it felt too darn hot for hotpot. We decided that we’ll check out the hotpot place when autumn rolls around.
Anyway, I read this article before and even tried one of the suggestions (Asian Jewel Seafood). Their dimsum was pretty good, so I thought maybe we should try another place from the list.
First stop: Liang’s Kitchen.
We ate quite a late lunch at Liang’s Kitchen. There were only three tables occupied, so we had the place all too ourselves. Curiously, our three tables were all close together. Which really made a big difference when the couple next to us ordered stinky tofu. When it was brought to their table, I was ready to run out the door. Stinky tofu really lived up to its name. The couple ate with much gusto, but regretfully, I wasn’t brave enough to try it that day. Maybe some other time.
As for the menu, it might read like typical Chinese food, but Liang’s Kitchen is Taiwanese. If you’re not familiar with Taiwanese food, you’d be surprised like we were.
I ordered Pork Chop over Rice while my husband wanted to try their Stew Pork Belly over Rice. I was startled to see a big plate came out with this much food.
It had cabbage, sliced mushrooms, some beans, bell pepper and something called Stew Egg. The rice was topped with something I thought was ground pork (not sure, I didn’t get to ask. I just ate it. ’twas good.). Then there’s the sliced breaded deep-fried pork chop that was surprisingly not greasy.
My husband’s meal was as big as mine with the same sides. The Stew Pork Belly reminded me of the Filipino adobo, just a sweeter version of it.
After we shared and devoured both dishes, here’s how much the damage was. Strangely, they put 3 guests in this receipt. Did they think hubby and I ate for three?
Not bad, right? All in all, a pretty filling Taiwanese lunch with definitely a lot of bang for the buck.
After eating so much meat, I was hankering for something cold. I’ve read about Taiwanese shaved ice, and Flushing seemed like a good place to look for it. Once again, this article suggested a place called Sno Po in the New World Mall Food Court.
Next stop: New World Mall.
It took us about five minutes to walk from Liang’s Kitchen to New World Mall. Finding parking spaces in any NYC borough is always a pain, so it was better to walk than drive.
When we got to the mall, Sno Po was nowhere to be found. So much for trying the Taiwanese shaved ice! Disappointed, we considered going to Beautiful Memory Desserts, but bought Milk Foam Black Coffee from Gong Cha and Mango Slush from Kung Fu Tea instead.
While sipping our drinks, a girl passed by holding a plate with what seemed to be shaved ice. Suddenly, I was on the look-out again. “Where did she get it?”
Thank goodness for Taiwan Market Foods (Xiao Yuan Huan)! I asked the girl at the counter if they had shaved ice and they DID!!! I learned that finely shaved ice is called cuòbīng. I had my choice of toppings, including a whole bunch of beans, fruits, nuts, etc. I ordered pineapple and sago drizzled with condensed milk for $3.50. Once again, really cheap! The shaved ice melted pretty quickly, so taking a pretty picture was a bit challenging. If it looks mushy and slushy, don’t worry, at least you’ll get a really sweet treat.
The shaved ice reminded me of the Filipino dessert halo-halo. Why I never thought of trying halo-halo with condensed milk is a mystery.
We were only too happy that our Tasty Taiwanese Trip concluded on such a sweet note. This was our first time to eat Taiwanese food, but this is absolutely not the last.
Addresses:
Liang’s Kitchen
133-51 39th Avenue Flushing, NY 11354
New World Mall Food Court
Gong Cha Tea
Taiwan Market Foods (Xiao Yuan Huan)
13620 Roosevelt Avenue Flushing, NY 11354